Examination of the Criminal Liability of Legal Persons in the French Criminal System
Keywords:
legal entity, nature of legal entity, criminal liability, scope of criminal liability, criminal liability of private legal entities, criminal liability of public law entities, enforcement guaranteeAbstract
Criminal liability constitutes the boundary between crime and punishment and refers to the obligation and commitment of an individual who possesses understanding, free will, and responsibility to be accountable for the consequences of their personal actions. In French law, the criminal liability of legal persons is regarded as an objective, rather than a subjective, matter. Pursuant to Article 121-2 of the new French Penal Code, legal persons—excluding the State—are considered criminally liable for acts committed by their agents and representatives on behalf of the legal entity. The criminal liability of legal persons does not preclude the criminal liability of natural persons, whether as principal offenders or accomplices. The new Penal Code has drawn upon criminological doctrines, particularly the modern neoclassical school and the movement for a new social defense, and the influence of these doctrines on the acceptance of criminal liability for legal persons reflects the impact of criminological perspectives on criminal law. Furthermore, the institution of criminal liability seeks to protect the rights of victims against the harm and damage caused by legal persons, particularly in cases of fatal incidents, while also manifesting the principle of equality of all before the law in judicial authorities’ treatment of the criminal liability of legal persons.
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